Disclaimer: (sigh) I really get tired of this…see above chappies please! Trust me, nothing has changed since then. If it had, I certainly wouldn't be here now, lol. Sorry guys, nothing personal, and no hard feelings, right?

A/N: Hey there everyone! Sorry I haven't updated, I didn't realize it had been so long. Anyway, I was busy with midterms twitch and typing up the rest of this story. So, it's all finished now I just have to post it. Only 3 more chappies after this one! cries It's kinda sad. But, I left it open for a sequel so if you guys want one, I might write it…I haven't really thought about it yet. But wait until you've read the whole thing before you tell me, k? Alrighty, and now for my lovely personal responses to all my lovely reviewers. I LOVE YOU GUYS!! Lol.

Forever Starcrossed: YAY! A new reviewer! Wow, I'm so glad you like my story so much, lol. Your story sounds good…interesting. If you ever post it, let me know, k? And don't worry; I won't accuse you of plagiarism, lol.

Countess Alana: Hey! Yeah, no problem about the dedication thing, you guys deserved it! (My faithful reviewers, lol.) Do you two know each other, like outside of fanfic? Anyway, here's another chappie for you…enjoy! AND UPDATE YOUR STORY ASAP!!! I'm dying over here waiting for chap. 23!

Luthien Anwamane: The character analysis was fun, lol. Unfortunately, Drac's not in this chappie either cringes (Don't hurt me!) but he's coming up in the next one. Please don't use your mind control techniques on me! And anyway you're too late because I've already written the rest of the story. So nyeh-nyeh! J/k, j/k. Um, about Drac dying…here's the thing. I don't want to give it away, so please just be patient with me and read the whole thing. Cuz, at the end of chappie 12 it might seem like he's dead, but chappie 13 explains! So don't get all mad at me at the end of chap 12, k? And I did leave it open for a sequel, which would of course, have Drac in it because you can't have a VH story without Drac, right? So he's never really dead. So basically, don't hate me. And review please! (Could this response be longer? Feel special.)

Charlie Quill: YAY! Another new reviewer! Glad you liked the bi-polar bit, lol. Hope you like this chappie too.

Fox of the Nova: Yup, I am now practically addicted to Phantom of the Opera! I absolutely loved it! I bought the soundtrack, and that's pretty much all I've listened to for the past week and a half, lol. Have you seen it yet? If you haven't, you've got to! Oh, and there's more Hugh here so don't have a panic attack or anything, lol. Enjoy, and review please!

Christine Marquez: I have written more, as you requested. The soon part I'm not so sure about, lol. Sorry. But I hope you like this chappie as much as the others! Maybe that will make up for my lack of updating…lol.

Lady Kathrin: You really have to see Phantom! Have you seen it yet? It is so good! Oh, and here's another chappie for you so you don't need to wait any longer! It's shorter though. I think…lol.

And that's about all I have to say! This chappie's short, and a little boring, but it's just building up to the final scene, you know? Okay, enjoy, review, and thank you, thank you, thank you! to all my wonderful reviewers out there. You guys ROCK!

Chapter 10

"Uuuhhh." I yawned, stretched, and sat up. The nap had done me good; I felt rested and ready for action. I stood and walked out of the room Van Helsing had shown me to sleep in, and down the hall to see if he and Carl were awake. I reached Carl's door first, and knocked, but there was no reply. I thought he must still be asleep, so I moved further down the hall to Van Helsing's room. I didn't even have to knock; I could hear his soft snoring through the door. I smiled to myself and went in search of some food from the kitchens.

I arrived there only to see Carl pigging out on bread and roast beef in a chair near the fireplace. I pulled up another chair and sat down next to him. "Hey. I thought you were still asleep." I said.

Carl swallowed and shook his head. "I'm a little too nervous. Couldn't sleep long. Want some?" He offered me a slice of warm bread.

"Thanks." I said, taking the slice and ripping off a piece. "What time is it?"

"Close to nightfall." Carl responded. "Is Van Helsing up yet?"

"I don't think so. He was still snoring when I walked by." I paused and stared into the fire, chewing. "Carl," I began after a moment, "I...I'm a little worried about tonight. I have no idea what to expect, we don't even have a plan! There are too many variables, too many things that could go wrong. This may come as a surprise, but I've never been in a battle with bonafide weapons with my brother, much less the Devil's Son. How do these things work? Do you just sort of jump in and start fighting, or what?"

Carl smiled. "Good question. Except that I'm not really the one to answer it, seeming how I usually stay as far away as possible." I laughed at that. "But don't worry," he continued, "Things just kind of, fall into place once you're there. You'll see. I seem to recall that last time, the plan was simply to kill Dracula and anything that gets in our way." I nodded, comforted by his words. Just then, Van Helsing walked up behind us. He was dressed, as usual, in his long coat with the trademark hat on his head, looking all set to walk out the door right then. I turned around at his footsteps and stood up. Carl left to get some more food and I smiled at Van Helsing. He returned the smile and at the same time picked up a lock of my hair and twirled it around his finger. I'm sure he was unaware of what he was doing, but I froze and shied away from his touch.

His smiled changed to a look of worry as he said, "What? What's wrong?" I looked down, embarrassed and apologetic.

"Dracula did the same thing." I said quietly to the floor. Color rose in my cheeks. Seriously, what was my problem? Van Helsing was nothing like Dracula, why did his touching my hair bother me so much? I pushed the thought from my mind when I realized that there were tears running down my cheeks. Ugh! Stupid stress-causing girlie emotions! Why the hell am I suddenly just standing here crying in front of Van Helsing?! I wiped the tears from my eyes, and I felt Van Helsing's hand under my chin. He lifted my chin and made me look up at him.

"I'm sorry." he said, pain in his voice. "I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry about what Dracula's done to you, what this whole thing has done to you. But the nightmare is almost over. Tonight, we finish it."

I stood staring up at him, his hand still under my chin. "Gabriel, I..." I whispered, but then Carl came up to us.

"Are we ready to go?" he asked, still eating. Van Helsing let go of me and backed a step away.

"Well, if you're finished stuffing your face." Van Helsing said.

"I eat when I'm nervous." Carl retorted.

"Whatever. Let's just go get our weapons and start off." Van Helsing said, leading the way to Carl's lab where we'd left them.

&-&-&-&-(A/N: I'm trying to find something to symbolize a new scene that will actually show up when I post this. Just go with it, k?)

Hours later, we arrived at the abandoned Valerious manor, and of course, the door to Dracula's icy castle. It was about 4:30 AM, and the sun was due to rise at 6:08. Somehow, we had to occupy Dracula and stay alive for an hour and a half in order to kill him at sunrise. Ha, easier said than done. Much easier. "Um, guys?" I said, before Van Helsing and Carl had a chance to walk through the door. "I, personally, would feel better if we had some sort of plan of attack. Or, here's a better idea. Why don't we just wait until it's about 5:50 before even going?" Van Helsing laughed.

"Oh stop, you sound like Carl. Have faith in yourself, you'll be fine."

"Actually, Van Helsing," Carl remarked, "I kind of like that idea."

"I bet you do Carl." Van Helsing responded smiling.

"Back to my original question," I interrupted. "A plan? Any plan at all?" I looked expectantly at Van Helsing as he opened his mouth. "And don't say 'kill Dracula and anything that gets in our way'." I cut in before he could say anything. "I've heard that one already."

Van Helsing closed his mouth and shrugged. "Then I've got nothing." he said apologetically. Then he smiled. "But seriously, stop worrying. If you stand here stressing about it much longer, sunrise will have come and gone."

"Alright, fine." I reluctantly agreed, "Let's just go and get it over with." And with that, I walked through the mirrored door to Castle Dracula.

&-&-&-&-

And there you have it! I told you it was short and boring, but I guess you're just gonna have to get over it, lol! I'll try to update soon, maybe tomorrow if I have reviewer to respond to. (hint hint, wink wink, lol) I'm home alone all day tomorrow so that's a good time to update, but I wouldn't want to if I didn't have any personal responses to write! So, get reviewing already! Lol. Byes!

Gem